Always Hungry, Always Eating And Still Lossing?

[skgirl]

I am really confused because I have seen a ton of posts saying that after they (poster) went gluten free they have gained weight (no difference if it was a good thing or not), but I haven't seen anyone post about loosing weight.

I have been gluten free for about a month so far. I can't stop eating I feel like I am always hungry and mostly craving carbs(all gluten free). I have struggled in the past to loose weight (b4 diagnosis), but now it feels like it's falling off. My husband is a little worried because I have lost 12lbs in a month (I am not heavy just had left over baby weight from my kids 8,6, 4.5)

Has anyone else had this? I suspect that it was because I wasn't able to absorb nutrients before and my body was "starving" itself and now that i can it has sped up my metabolism? would that be a good guess???

[missy'smom]

I see that you have been DX with hypoglycemia. Carbs just feed into the cycle of hypoglycemia. It would be better to adopt a lower carb diet based on meat and veg., eggs, healthy fats. They will keep your blood sugar stable. Have you been checking your blood sugar? If not, it's time to check it. Get ahold of a meter if you can and test after meals, that will give you alot of good info to go on. Consider going in and being screened/retested for diabetes and blood sugar problems. Doesn't hurt a bit to get tested and rule it out or see where you're at. These things are best kept a close eye on. It may or may not be part of your problem, but I unwillingly lost alot of weight, that I couldn't afford to lose just before I was dx with diabetes and I was the one who asked for the test. A person can have both hyper and hypoglycemia. I'm thin and don't have any insulin resistance and even though I am not on insulin, I can get BG's occasionally that are 70 or just a bit below. Unmanaged, I can go up to nearly 300 very easily. With a careful low-carbohydrate diet I can have stable BG's in the non-diabetic range. Hope you can sort it out and be feeling better.

[ravenwoodglass]

I lost about 20 lbs and went from a size 14 to a 4 my first month or so on the diet. Then the weight loss stopped and I have now been the same size for 8 years. In my case a lot of the weight was water weight and I even lost a full shoe size. If you had a lot of bloating some of that weight may be water weight. I would make sure that you are getting enough calories to sustain the weight your at and do get checked out by your doctor if it continues. If your feeling better you may also be getting more excercise than you did prediagnosis so be sure to take that into account also.

[cassP]

in the past i always lost weight when going off gluten.. but this last july when i finally went 100% gluten free- i put on maybe 5-7lbs the 1st month-> but that was because i GORGED myself on gluten free cookies and treats!!!

ive taken it back off, after going back to more natural foods and a low carb diet, im slim again.

everyone's different. i was always heavier on a diet including gluten. even when i was having "D" everyday- still heavy. i always ate more and more... gluten was like a drug for me- i was always hungry and full and bloated at the same time... i could sit down have a toasted bagel and cream cheese... and then 1 minute after finishing it- i had to get up and fix another one... maybe have 3. also- i have the kind of body- where if im not getting proper nutrients or proper sleep- my body just gets flooded with cortisol and my metabolism shuts down.

i feel great now, and i love to be thin and DE-Bloated. i do much better on a LOW to NO carb diet.

for some people (celiac or not)-> eating a lot of carbs, especially wheat, can lead to insulin resistance.

oh- also, on a low carb diet- where i try to have some protein and fat at every meal-> my blood sugar is much more stable!!

so, dont feel strange... as long as you are healthy, its ok to be dropping weight. if you lose too much, then add some carbs back in- rice always keeps me from losing too much weight, and i still have a sweet tooth.

[Reba32]

I will second the suggestion to go with low(er) carb options, and higher fat and protien servings than you're probably getting now. Fat and protien will keep you satisfied, and won't burn off as quickly as high carb options.

I would also suggest that you have your thyroid checked. With Celiac disease we can also collect other auto-immune diseases, Grave's disease being one. Grave's knocks your thyroid into hyperdrive, and can cause rapid weight loss, muscle wasting, as well as many many other health problems and possible death.

[Nadia2009]

I agree with Reba you should have your tyroid checked. I have to have mine checked too because I am ofen hungry and not gaining weight with all the sweets I have been eating lately. I think if you are borderline and your thyroid is close to the hyper side, your metabolism burns food faster. A hyper working thyroid has the following symptoms: the big D, insomnia, restlessness and feeling always hungry and easily hot and weight lost of course.

It is good to know if your thyroid function is changing and if you catch it early you may not have to take medecines all your life like most people have to. I was told I would take medecines for good but because it was a mild imbalance, I only took drugs for less than two years.

[Nadia2009]

I see that you have been DX with hypoglycemia. Carbs just feed into the cycle of hypoglycemia. It would be better to adopt a lower carb diet based on meat and veg., eggs, healthy fats. They will keep your blood sugar stable. Have you been checking your blood sugar? If not, it's time to check it. Get ahold of a meter if you can and test after meals, that will give you alot of good info to go on. Consider going in and being screened/retested for diabetes and blood sugar problems. Doesn't hurt a bit to get tested and rule it out or see where you're at. These things are best kept a close eye on. It may or may not be part of your problem, but I unwillingly lost alot of weight, that I couldn't afford to lose just before I was dx with diabetes and I was the one who asked for the test. A person can have both hyper and hypoglycemia. I'm thin and don't have any insulin resistance and even though I am not on insulin, I can get BG's occasionally that are 70 or just a bit below. Unmanaged, I can go up to nearly 300 very easily. With a careful low-carbohydrate diet I can have stable BG's in the non-diabetic range. Hope you can sort it out and be feeling better.

Can you tell me if being gluten intolerant makes us more vulnerable to diabetes even if we aren't eating gluten?

I never think of diabetes because most of the year I dont eat much sweet but once I find something I really like I can over eat for 2-3 day and I mean really over eat a lot of sugar. I always thought that it is not a problem because I am not using sugar anywhere else in my diet and I could indulge sometimes even if it is badly I dont have diabetes in my family either but I dont want to get into another trouble now that I am healing myself so can eating too much sugar in a very short time make my blood sugar go crazy?

Thank you.

[missy'smom]

Can you tell me if being gluten intolerant makes us more vulnerable to diabetes even if we aren't eating gluten?

I never think of diabetes because most of the year I dont eat much sweet but once I find something I really like I can over eat for 2-3 day and I mean really over eat a lot of sugar. I always thought that it is not a problem because I am not using sugar anywhere else in my diet and I could indulge sometimes even if it is badly I dont have diabetes in my family either but I dont want to get into another trouble now that I am healing myself so can eating too much sugar in a very short time make my blood sugar go crazy?

Thank you.

It has been said that autoimmune diseases travel in packs and there has been a connection shown between both T1 and T1.5 diabetes and celiac disease/wheat. I posted some links to info. on that in the following thread.

The link to L.A.D.A on the other thread also is a good source of info. on blood sugar in general so that may help you understand what happens. Some of us seem to be more sensitive, for whatever reason. Our bodies usually give us signs, although not always and sometimes we don't recognize them. Do you feel fatigued or sleepy after those sugar loads, or crash and burn at some point hours later or have to urinate alot? There are lists of symptoms and risk factors out there, however we don't always fit into the convenient boxes. I say, know your body, listen to it, educate yourself and if in doubt, find out!